Stadium station (Sound Transit)

Stadium
Link Light Rail station
Location	501 S Royal Brougham Way Seattle, Washington
Coordinates	47°35′28.8″N 122°19′37.8″W / 47.591333°N 122.327167°WCoordinates: 47°35′28.8″N 122°19′37.8″W / 47.591333°N 122.327167°W
Owned by	Sound Transit
Line(s)	Central Link
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Connections	Sound Transit Express, King County Metro, Greyhound Lines
Construction
Structure type	Surface
Parking	Paid parking nearby
Disabled access	Yes
History
Opened	July 18, 2009
Services
Preceding station   Link Light Rail   Following station SODO toward SeaTac/Airport Central Link International District/Chinatown toward University of Washington

Stadium is a light rail station located in Seattle, Washington. It is situated between the SODO and International District/Chinatown stations on the Central Link line, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport through Downtown Seattle to the University of Washington as part of the Link Light Rail system. The station consists of an at-grade island platform at the intersection of the SODO Busway and South Royal Brougham Way in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, adjacent to CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field.

Stadium Station was proposed in 1998 as part of the segment between the Downtown Seattle and Beacon Hill tunnels and subsequently deferred months later. It was reinstated in 2005 and construction of the station was completed in May 2006, several years before Link light rail service began on July 18, 2009. Trains serve the station 20 hours a day every day; the headway between trains is 6 minutes during peak periods, with less frequent service at other times. Stadium Station is also served by several Sound Transit Express and King County Metro buses that stop on the SODO Busway west of the platform, as well as the Seattle Greyhound station east of the platform.

Location

Stadium Station is situated at the intersection of the SODO Busway and Royal Brougham Way, under the ramps of Interstate 90, in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle.^[1] The station is adjacent to a King County Metro employee parking garage, which includes a pedestrian bridge over the platform to the Metro Ryerson Base, and the Seattle Greyhound bus station.^[2][3] The area surrounding Stadium Station contains a mixture of light industrial zoning, primarily home to the manufacturing and warehousing industry employing over 13,000 workers, with some retail uses.^[4][5][6] CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field are located one block west of the station on the north and south sides of Royal Brougham Way, respectively.^[7] The light rail line is paralleled to the east by a mixed-use bicycle trail called the SODO Trail, which connects Stadium Station to SODO station at South Lander Street.^[8] The Seattle Department of Transportation plans to extend the trail further south to Spokane Street, connecting it to a bike trail on the Spokane Street Viaduct, serving West Seattle.^[9]

History

Stadium Station was not part of the initial Link Light Rail route approved in 1996,^[10][11] but was created as part of "Route C1" added to Central Link by the Sound Transit Board in 1998. The routing included an at-grade section parallel to the SODO Busway and a tunnel under Beacon Hill, with stations at South Royal Brougham Way, South Lander Street and under Beacon Hill.^[12] While "Route C1" was selected as the final Central Link route in 1999,^[13] the station at South Royal Brougham Way was deferred, except for the construction of the platform and supports required for an infill station.^[14][15] The Sound Transit Board began studying the re-addition of a station at Royal Brougham Way in late 2004 and approved construction of the newly renamed Stadium Station on January 13, 2005,^[16] using $3.7 million in surplus funds after bids for the construction of Link Light Rail were lower than budgeted.^[17][18]

Construction of Stadium Station began with the laying of the first rails for Central Link, between Holgate and Lander streets, in August 2005.^[19] The station itself was built by Kiewit Pacific in less than a year, with opening ceremonies for Stadium and SODO stations held on May 30, 2006, celebrating the completion of the first two Central Link stations.^[20] Light rail testing on the 1.3-mile-long (2.1 km), at-grade SoDo segment began in March 2007,^[21] and ended in February 2008.^[22] Regular Link service from Seattle to Tukwila began on July 18, 2009,^[23] including the use of its pocket track to store extra trains serving a sellout friendly match between the Seattle Sounders and Chelsea at CenturyLink Field.^[7][24]

Station layout

Platform level	Northbound	← Central Link toward University of Washington (International District/Chinatown)
	Island platform, doors will open on the left
	Southbound	→ Central Link toward SeaTac/Airport (SODO) →

Stadium Station consists of a single 400-foot-long (120 m),^[20] at-grade island platform accessible vian an entrance at its north end, 130 feet (40 m) from South Royal Brougham Way.^[25] The platform itself has a width of 30 feet (9.1 m) to accommodate event crowds at CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field.^[26] A pocket track located south of the station was built to store extra trains that are deployed after major sporting events.^[20][27]

Services

Stadium Station, as viewed from its southbound SODO Busway stop served by ST Express and King County Metro buses.

Stadium Station is part of Sound Transit's Central Link line, which runs from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport through the Rainier Valley and Downtown Seattle to the University of Washington. It is the ninth northbound station from SeaTac/Airport station and seventh southbound station from University of Washington station, and is situated between SODO and International District/Chinatown stations. Central Link trains serve Stadium Station 20 hours a day on weekdays and Saturdays, from 5:00 am to 1:00 am, and 18 hours on Sundays, from 6:00 am to 12:00 am; during regular weekday service, trains operate roughly every 6 to 10 minutes during rush hour and midday operation, respectively, with longer headways of 15 minutes in the early morning and 20 minutes at night. During weekends, Central Link trains arrive at Stadium Station every 10 minutes during midday hours and every 15 minutes during mornings and evenings. The station is approximately 29 minutes from SeaTac and 9 minutes from Westlake station in Downtown Seattle.^[28][29]

Stadium Station is also served by several bus routes on the SODO Busway, which runs parallel to the Central Link line and through the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, at a pair of bus stops west of the station platform at Royal Brougham Way. Four Sound Transit Express routes stop at the station: Route 590 from Tacoma,^[30] Route 592 from Olympia, DuPont, and Lakewood,^[31] Route 594 from Lakewood and Tacoma,^[32] and Route 595 from Gig Harbor.^[33] King County Metro operates four all-day routes through the SODO Busway: Route 41 from Northgate and Downtown,^[34] Route 101 from Renton and Tukwila,^[35] Route 106 from the Rainier Valley and Renton,^[36] and Route 150 from Tukwila and Kent.^[37] Metro also runs four peak-direction routes through the SODO Busway: Route 102 from Tukwila and Renton,^[38] Routes 177 and 178 from Federal Way,^[39][40] and Route 190 from Star Lake and Redondo Heights.^[41] Two night buses to Downtown Seattle and Madison Park are operated as Metro "Night Owl" Route 84.^[42]

In addition to regular bus service, Metro also runs the Route 97 Link Shuttle, a shuttle service serving Link stations along surface streets during Link service disruptions.^[43]

See also

• List of Link Light Rail stations

References

1. "Stadium Station". Sound Transit. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
2. "Seattle, WA". Greyhound Station Locator. Greyhound Lines. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
3. "Greyhound Relocates in Seattle, Washington" (Press release). Dallas, Texas: Greyhound Lines. May 16, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
4. City of Seattle Generalized Zoning (PDF) (Map). City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development. August 29, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
5. Growing Transit Communities Oversight Committee (October 2013). "Stadium: Light Rail/Bus" (PDF). The Growing Transit Communities Strategy. Puget Sound Regional Council. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
6. City of Seattle Strategic Planning Office (January 1999). "E3 at Royal Brougham" (PDF). Seattle Area Station Planning: Light Rail Station Area Atlas. Seattle Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
7. Lindblom, Mike (July 11, 2009). "Sports fans to find relief at Stadium light-rail stop". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
8. Seattle Bike Map (PDF) (Map). Seattle Department of Transportation. 2014. p. 1. § D8. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
9. "Map 4-8: E Sector" (PDF) (Map). Seattle Bike Master Plan (PDF). Seattle Department of Transportation. April 29, 2014. p. 45. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
10. "Sound Move: Launching a Rapid Transit System for the Puget Sound Region" (PDF). Sound Transit. May 31, 1996. p. 21. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
11. Schaefer, David (November 6, 1996). "Voters Back Transit Plan On Fourth Try". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
12. "Sound Transit Motion No. M98-49". Sound Transit. July 23, 1998. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
13. Fryer, Alex (November 19, 1999). "A Milestone For Light Rail -- Regional Board Selects Station Sites, Alignment". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
14. "Sound Transit Resolution No. R99-34". Sound Transit. November 18, 1999. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
15. "Sound Transit Board achieves historic milestone by selecting route for central Link light rail" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 18, 1999. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
16. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2005-09" (PDF). Sound Transit. January 13, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
17. "Sound Transit Motion No. M2005-08" (PDF). Sound Transit. January 13, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
18. Pryne, Eric (October 29, 2004). "Sound Transit wants to add light-rail station - Royal Brougham Way stop proposed". The Seattle Times. p. B1.
19. "Sound Transit installs first rails for Central Link light rail line" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. August 18, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
20. "Sound Transit completes first two Central Link light rail stations" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. May 30, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
21. "Sound Transit starts intensive light rail testing" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. March 14, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
22. STV Group (June 2008). Central Link Light Rail Project Initial and Airport Segments Monitoring Report, Part I – June 2008 (PDF) (Report). Federal Transit Administration. p. 21. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
23. "Link light rail launches new era of mobility for central Puget Sound" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. July 18, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
24. Doughton, Sandi; Lindblom, Mike (July 19, 2009). "Seattle welcomed light rail Saturday with cheers, applause and a question: What took you so long?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
25. "Stadium Station". Completed Project Archive. Sound Transit. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
26. "Sound Transit Staff Report - Motion No. M2005-08: Add Royal Brougham Station to Initial Segment Construction" (DOC). Sound Transit. January 13, 2005. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
27. Lindblom, Mike (July 30, 2009). "Light rail averaging 12,000 riders per weekday so far". The Seattle Times. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
28. "Central Link light rail schedule". Sound Transit. September 26, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
29. "Expanded Metro bus service coming; Link light rail ramps up in downtown tunnel" (Press release). King County Metro. September 16, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
30. "ST Express Route 590: Tacoma–Seattle". Sound Transit. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
31. "ST Express Route 592: Olympia/DuPont–Seattle". Sound Transit. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
32. "ST Express Route 594: Lakewood–Seattle". Sound Transit. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
33. "ST Express Route 595: Gig Harbor–Seattle". Sound Transit. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
34. "Route 41: Downtown Seattle–Northgate, Lake City". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
35. "Route 101: Downtown Seattle–Renton". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
36. "Route 106: Downtown Seattle–Renton". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
37. "Route 150: Downtown Seattle–Kent". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
38. "Route 102: Downtown Seattle–Renton". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
39. "Route 177, 178: Downtown Seattle–South Federal Way". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
40. "Route 178: Downtown Seattle–South Federal Way". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
41. "Route 190: Downtown Seattle–Star Lake, Redondo Heights P&R". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
42. "Route 84 "Night Owl": Downtown Seattle–Madison Park, Madrona". King County Metro. June 7, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2014.
43. "No Link light rail service on Nov. 15 for system upgrades" (Press release). Seattle, Washington: Sound Transit. November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.

External links

• Sound Transit Rider Guide